Chapter 94
Chapter 94
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 94
Chapter Title: Mana Exhaustion and the Steam Factory
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“Phew…….”
After seeing off the customers, I looked at my trembling hands right there in my seat.
Mana exhaustion had robbed my entire body of strength.
My muscles twitched like they were spasming.
I could barely move as I wished.
‘I thought I could handle it.’
Even though the magic circle used my mana instead of generating it, I hadn’t expected it to be unable to handle two illusions at once.
After all, running just one illusion had felt far more manageable than I’d thought.
No matter how intensely I pushed it or how many simulations I ran, it hadn’t been a burden.
‘Running illusions simultaneously deals way more damage than I imagined.’
The problem wasn’t just showing the illusions.
To fool the user’s senses, a huge chunk of the magic circle’s computations went into creating pseudo-sensations.
Showing the illusion and then tricking the senses with pseudo-sensations on top of that.
‘It’s not like just screwing a mouth.’
Putting a dick in my mouth didn’t bother me.
Since it used the sensation of the dick entering to trick the pussy with pseudo-sensations, sticking the dick in my mouth was an indispensable part.
Using mouth pussy and throat pussy to create the illusion of the real pussy getting pounded.
That was the most basic process of the illusion.
But if I tricked fellatio and irrumatio into full illusions too, it would make the whole thing feel too illusory, killing the appeal.
‘Even if I fool pleasure with caresses, it’s still not “insertion.”’
And in the end, isn’t fellatio just not sex?
So violating the mouth pussy wasn’t a big issue.
But making it look like the real pussy was getting violated in different ways across different illusions was another story.
‘It’s not just creating the scenes as illusions—the opponent’s illusion, who isn’t actually getting fucked, has to see it like I’m raping them too.’
It devoured an absurd amount of resources.
In fact, it made perfect sense that it consumed double what one user took.
‘I foolishly thought it would just be twice as much.’
Of course the mana consumption exceeded estimates by a huge margin.
At least they were all satisfied by the time the illusions ended, which was a small mercy.
If not, it could’ve turned into a much bigger disaster.
If Yuris’s sex illusion had cut off midway.
They would’ve faced the harsh truth of the pseudo-sensations I was providing from behind the illusion, and that would’ve ruined any chance of them experiencing my illusions realistically next time.
‘I’d lose customers.’
At least it hadn’t reached that worst-case scenario.
Still.
‘Expenses are a killer.’
Already running at a deficit, and now I’d lost income from two customers due to the mishap.
“Damn……. Gotta tighten the belt even more.”
It felt like swallowing bloody tears.
On top of that, I’d have to close the shop for days until I recovered from this mana exhaustion.
Expenses piling up with no income.
“Haa…….”
I let out a deep sigh.
This was all the result of my own shortcomings.
Miscalculating the mana usage and computations for the magic circle.
Overreaching by handling everything with pseudo-sensations, only to cause overload instead.
Overestimating my own abilities.
Even embarrassing myself in front of customers.
‘I have to take responsibility.’
Tightening the belt was the consequence.
No blaming others.
“I need more training. And for the future, I should stock a spare mana stone as backup.”
Just like running a temporary generator in a server room to prevent downtime in emergencies, the magic circle powered by my mana needed a mana stone for temporary mana to avoid shorts like this.
“Mana stones are a bit pricey, but…….”
Better than tarnishing the shop’s reputation over something like this.
One mistake is a fluke, but twice is a skill issue.
With my thoughts sorted, I stood up from my seat.
My legs trembled without proper strength, so I limped to the bathroom mirror.
“Heh, what a sight.”
My hair was matted with sweat here and there, my sunken eyes lifeless. Dark circles from sudden fatigue framed the bottoms.
I looked like I could pass out any second.
“Gonna need a few days’ rest for real.”
It felt like I might actually die like this.
“Mana exhaustion, huh. Aside from my rookie days, I’ve never suffered it once…….”
Meiko would’ve scolded me for neglecting self-care if she saw me like this.
“Haa.”
I’d gotten too arrogant from recent successes.
The empire’s top knight, the Goddess of Victory; the Imperial Academy’s genius spirit mage; the universally revered saintess; even the high elf and my master—all had seen my illusions as real.
“My magic circle isn’t perfect. They didn’t feel any disconnect because they had no resistance to the illusion.”
I splashed dry water on my face and steeled my resolve.
“I can improve it starting now. I fixed a near-error in the magic circle before too.”
First time’s the hardest, not the second.
I might not have to handle two customers at once again, but preparing couldn’t hurt.
“A temporary mana stone……. How best to install it.”
Simply linking a mana stone to the magic circle would drain it periodically.
That could leave it short exactly when needed.
Experts were required for handling mana stones and crafting circuits with them.
“This is when I need a pro’s help.”
Meister School?
Better not to expect anything from them.
They hoard their secret techniques.
They wouldn’t share with me, a core member of an external faction.
‘Most of the Meister School tech I got is stuff widely used by the masses.’
That left only one option.
“Dwarves it is.”
Dwarves, huh.
“Didn’t wanna deal with their shitty attitudes, but…….”
No choice.
I was the desperate one here.
“Hope I can satisfy those bastards with the cash.”
More expenses.
“Gotta prep for the trip a bit.”
To reach the dwarves’ city, Steam Factory, I’d need the train connecting the empire to Steam Factory.
Steam Factory.
A dwarven city-state kingdom teeming with artisans.
A kingdom filled with all sorts of precision machinery.
If humans advanced the empire with magic-based magic engineering, and elves with spirit and natural forces, mana-less dwarves harnessed mana for steam engines.
Using specific minerals that reacted to mana, they created impossibly efficient automated machines.
I didn’t know the principles, but I figured it was like Earth’s steam engines juiced with mana.
Mana stones were minerals too, and dwarves, experts at handling them, adapted them their way.
Dwarven steam engines ran on fuel processed from mana stones, making them unrivaled in mana stones.
Self-moving robots, massive trains on rails, automobiles powered by steam instead of horses.
All mysteries only dwarves could craft.
‘If humans knew the steam principles, couldn’t they use them too?’
Human steam engines couldn’t surpass magic efficiency, so most facilities still relied on magic.
From the empire’s perspective, already peaked with magic, there was no reason to gamble.
‘Magic’s just more efficient anyway.’
Magic-powered cameras, refrigerators, boilers, and supporting magic circles.
Add divine power as backup, and no one bothered importing dwarven tech.
‘Except the train linking the imperial capital to Steam Factory.’
Regular teleport gates only carried small groups.
Costs varied wildly by distance, limiting users.
But dwarven trains offered relatively cheap mass transport.
I’d heard moves to utilize them in the empire, but.
‘Meister School blocks it all, right?’
Meister School, claiming magic’s superiority, decried riding iron hunks like trains as blasphemy.
‘Yet they love hopping in their own cars.’
Just infighting among mages, political bullshit.
The weakest magic faction, Illusion School, could only watch from the sidelines.
“If dwarven tech were used right, I could improve my magic circle too.”
Hiss!
I stepped off the steam car belching blue steam.
[Steam Factory–Empire]
Tourists and businessmen streamed off the massive train linking the two realms.
“Tch, who’d have thought those hillbilly mine-diggers built a city this huge.”
A noble who’d gotten off beside me grumbled.
“Keep it down. You’ll get us thrown out.”
His companion hushed the noble.
Stubborn rock-diggers.
Greedy runts.
Plenty of nobles still clung to old dwarf stereotypes.
‘They are greedy, though.’
They treated rocks like gold.
If the gold and treasures weren’t right, they wouldn’t even negotiate.
Big worry.
“Wonder if this’ll be enough.”
I’d come to Steam Factory for a temporary mana storage device, but I knew 50 gold was laughably short.
Knew it, but had to try.
‘Gotta make it work somehow.’
I surveyed Steam Factory, dwarven steam everywhere spewing blue vapor.
Thick mana scent assaulted my nose.
So potent even non-mana sensitives would find it unpleasant.
“Tch, no wonder their tempers suck working in this daily.”
I clicked my tongue and donned a mask.
For humans to properly tour Steam Factory, a mask blocking mana particles was essential.
Without it, low-mana humans risked mana poisoning.
Opposite of mana exhaustion.
Sudden high like drugs, acting omnipotent until cops hauled them off.
I’d seen plenty.
“Graahaha! Behold me! I am the emperor!”
One already wasted.
The noble who’d called dwarves hill folk stripped, cackling.
Pitifully swinging his tiny dick like a trophy.
Ugly sight.
‘Low-tier human ignoring warnings.’
“Grab him!”
“No mask plus mana poisoning! Add public indecency!”
Uniformed dwarf cops waddled on short legs to nab the noble.
Male dwarves just over 150cm in uniform chasing him—pretty novel.
Male and female dwarves similar height, right?
160cm was tall for them.
“Let go! I’m the empire’s emperor! Touching the emperor’s body! Aren’t you scared! I fucked the empress and became emperor!”
Yikes.
‘He’s done for—imperial insult back home means head off.’
Watching the noble dragged off by cops, I tsked, masked up, and left the station.
Headed to the factory core where mana particles hung visibly thick.
“Human, eh? Not even a gas mask, just a regular one and made it this far?”
“Most humans can’t handle the mana particles.”
Factory workers eyed me as I entered the core zone.
Whispers among them—humans rarely entered.
Bearded dwarves gawked at the intruding human.
“Outlander, what brings you here?”
“Got a commission. Want a device to store mana stone mana for emergencies.”
“Factory overseer or personal order?”
“What’s the difference?”
“Price.”
I shrugged.
“Then personal order. Budget’s tight.”
“How much?”
“50 imperial gold, 50 gold.”
The dwarf who’d spoken snorted and waved me off.
“Go home. No central factory dwarf’ll take your commission at that price.”
Tch, central factory’s a no-go, huh.
Worth a shot selling my feet, but no dice.
“Any outer workshops that might?”
“Wanna know? Show some sincerity.”
I shook my head at his circling finger.
“Budget’s set. Sorry.”
“Hmph, then scram. Time’s money to us.”
Fuck these shameless materialists.
Broke, so I swallow it.
I sighed and left the core area.
“Haa, now what?”
That’s when it happened.
“Need help?”
I turned at the shrill voice. A beardless boy dwarf stood there.